Depression, diabetes and metabolic-nutritional factors in elderly Hispanics.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship of depression to metabolic and nutritional risk factors in older Hispanics.


METHODS
Crossectional study.


METHODS
Subjects were part of a community-based, cognitive evaluation project that examined 301 subjects in the Eastern San Fernando Valley of Southern California.


METHODS
Two elderly Hispanic groups: 53 clinically depressed, with memory complaints but not demented subjects, and 33 generally healthy, cognitively asymptomatic subjects.


METHODS
The results of functional and nutritional questionnaires, a medical and neurological examination, 12-hour fasting clinical laboratory tests, MRI or CT scans, and neuropsychological testing.


RESULTS
Both groups were nearly identical along socio-demographic variables. However, the depressed group differed significantly from the general healthy group not only in percent of diabetics (38% vs.18%), but in the amount of poorly controlled diabetes, and the depressed group consumed about half the amount of fish that the generally healthy group did.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that factors such as poorly controlled diabetes combined with low consumption of foods high in omega-3 fatty acid content such as sea fish may be associated with an increased risk of developing depression in late life. These factors may be socio-economically and culturally influenced and are therefore amenable to modification.
Fitten
L J
LJ
Alzheimer Disease Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA. jfitten@ucla.edu
Ortiz
F
F
Fairbanks
L
L
Rosenthal
M
M
Cole
G N
GN
Nourhashemi
F
F
Sanchez
M A
MA
D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012307:Risk Factors; D017747:Seafood; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3